Salted Caramel Banana Pancakes are buttermilk pancakes topped with salted caramel sauce, vanilla cream, sliced bananas, and crushed Nilla wafer cookies. The first bite of this breakfast treat will sweep you right off your feet!
Recipe: $4.02 | Per Serving: $0.67 | Yields: 12 pancakes
If you've ever savored the deliciousness of Denny's banana caramel pancakes, you're well aware of how addictive this delightful combination can be.
Built upon my (Copycat) Denny's Pancake Recipe, these pancakes receive a few creative tweaks to perfect the meal. The results are absolutely delightful, and you're sure to be a fan! We even added some of the caramel sauce to our Southern Banana Pudding Cake and found more reasons to love this recipe.
Salted Caramel banana pancakes not only sound fancy but also taste incredibly good. Plus, they're a breeze to whip up, making them a fantastic breakfast option for any occasion.
For more pancake inspiration, don't forget to explore my Sugar Free Pancakes and Birthday Cake Pancakes as well!
Jump to:
🍯 Why This Recipe Works
- It's delicious. Salted caramel and bananas with crunchy cookie pieces and fluffy buttermilk pancakes. Every bite is like an explosion of flavors you are going to want to repeat over and over again.
- It's simpler to make than you'd think. I'm all about kitchen shortcuts, and using boxed vanilla pudding mix and store-bought caramel sauce is a real time-saver when preparing this delicious dish. We do add our unique touches, but it significantly streamlines the process compared to making everything from scratch.
- It's a very filling meal. Even though it tastes so good that you'll want several plates worth, trust me when I say it's filling. Just two pancakes with toppings will have you feeling stuffed.
🥘 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
Buttermilk- This will give us a wonderful taste! You can DIY your own buttermilk if needed. If you still have buttermilk left, try using it up in our Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes or Glazed Blueberry Cream Cheese Scones.
Crushed shortbread cookie pieces- We use crushed Nilla wafer cookies for a subtle crunch in our pancakes.
Caramel ice cream topping/syrup- You can use caramel topping from a jar or a bottle. I used caramel from a bottle. It's thinner and will require some cornstarch to help thicken, but that's okay!
Ripe banana- Use a ripe banana for added toppings on your pancakes. This will really give us a full experience.
Vanilla cook and serve pudding- You could make your vanilla cream from scratch, or you can take a shortcut and use boxed vanilla pudding.
For specific ingredients and measurements, please see the recipe card below.
🧾 Substitutions
I used nilla wafers as my shortbread cookie crumbs but you can use just about any vanilla or plain flavored crispy cookie. Biscoff cookies and other shortbread cookies work really well in this recipe!
🔪 Instructions for Salted Caramel Banana Pancakes
Vanilla Cream
Step 1: Prepare the vanilla cook and serve pudding according to package directions and place a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the pudding as it cools to prevent a skin from forming. Set aside until needed.
Salted Caramel
Step 2: Add the caramel, cornstarch, and salt to a small saucepan and whisk together for about 5 minutes over medium heat until very bubbly. Remove from heat and let rest. It will thicken as it cools.
Pancakes
Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda until well mixed.
Step 4: In another bowl whisk together the egg, oil, and buttermilk until blended.
Step 5: Add the egg mixture to the dry mixture and whisk until combined and no flour streaks remain. Do not overmix. The batter will be lumpy and thick.
Step 6: Let the batter rest for about 5 minutes while you preheat your skillet to medium heat (about 350 degrees F).
Step 7: Scoop the batter by the ¼ cup measures and round out into circles. Sprinkle some crushed shortbread pieces onto the batter.
Step 8: Cook for about 1-2 minutes per side or until both sides are golden in color.
Assembly
Step 9: Stack two or three pancakes onto a plate and spread some vanilla pudding on top.
Step 10: Drizzle salted caramel over the top as desired.
Step 11: Garnish with sliced ripe banana and more shortbread cookie pieces.
🧾 Quick DIY Buttermilk
If you don't have buttermilk on hand, don't worry. You can easily make some yourself using ingredients you already have on hand.
Simply take 1 cup of milk (can be almond milk, soy milk, whole milk, or even half and half) and remove 1 tablespoon of liquid from the measurement.
Now add in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, depending on what you have. Stir together and let rest for about 5 minutes before using as needed.
🍴 Recipe Tips
- Make the filling first. Prepare the filling before pancakes Prioritize making the vanilla cream (pudding) before starting the pancake batter. Cover the pudding with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming as it rests.
- Boxed pudding is a great filling. We also used boxed pudding as a filling in our Tortilla French Toast, Birthday Cake Crepes, or Simple Crepes (with Pancake Mix).
- Rest the batter. Allow the pancake batter to rest for 5 minutes to achieve a fluffier texture.
👩🏻🍳 Storage
Leftover caramel can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge but it will harden as it cools and chills.
🍳Reheating
Reheat the caramel in a bowl in the microwave to make it a drizzling consistency. About 15-45 seconds depending on how much you heat at once.
You can reheat pancakes in the microwave for about 30 seconds per pancake.
💭 Recipe FAQs
Keep your leftovers stored in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat again before eating. I recommend keeping the pudding, pancakes, and caramel separate and using fresh banana slices as needed.
While butter tastes great on pancakes I truly enjoy spraying my pans with oil and then rubbing the fresh pancakes with butter before serving. This is because butter often burns and browns too quickly on the skillet which results in spotty-looking pancakes. Oil on the pan is more likely to give you a nice golden color.
Yes, you can make this batter the night before and keep it well covered and stored in the fridge until ready to use in the morning. Don't add any shortbread cookie pieces until ready to heat so that they don't become soggy while waiting.
❤️ More Delicious Breakfast Recipes
If you tried these Salted Caramel Banana Pancakes, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your feedback in the 📝 comments section below. I would truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Salted Caramel Banana Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups All purpose flour ($0.23)
- 2 Tablespoon Granulated sugar ($0.05)
- 2 teaspoons Baking powder ($0.10)
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda ($0.01)
- ¼ teaspoon Salt ($0.01)
- 1 large Egg, slightly beaten ($0.15)
- 3 Tablespoons Vegetable oil (canola oil works too) ($0.13)
- 1 ½ cups Buttermilk ($1.10)
- ½ cup Shortbread cookie pieces, crushed ($0.22)
Salted Caramel
- ½ cup Caramel ice cream topping/syrup ($0.48)
- 2 teaspoon Cornstarch ($0.02)
- ½ teaspoon Salt ($0.01)
Toppings
- 1 ripe Banana, sliced ($0.25)
- 2 Tablespoons Shortbread cookie pieces, crushed ($0.03)
Vanilla Cream
- 1 box Vanilla cook and serve pudding (3 ounce) ($0.83)
- 2 cups Milk ($0.40)
Instructions
Vanilla Cream
- Prepare the vanilla cook and serve pudding according to package directions and place a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the pudding as it cools to prevent a skin from forming. Set aside until needed.
Salted Caramel
- Add the caramel, cornstarch, and salt to a small saucepan and whisk together for about 5 minutes over medium heat until very bubbly. Remove from heat and let rest. It will thicken as it cools.
Pancakes
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda until well mixed.
- In another bowl whisk together the egg, oil, and buttermilk until blended.
- Add the egg mixture to the dry mixture and whisk until combined and no flour streaks remain. Do not overmix. The batter will be lumpy and thick.
- Let the batter rest for about 5 minutes while you preheat your skillet to medium heat (about 350 degrees F).
- Scoop the batter by the ¼ cup measures and round out into circles. Sprinkle some crushed shortbread pieces onto the batter. Cook for about 1-2 minutes per side or until both sides are golden in color.
Assembly
- Stack two or three pancakes onto a plate and spread some vanilla pudding on top.
- Drizzle salted caramel over the top as desired.
- Garnish with sliced ripe banana and more shortbread cookie pieces.
Notes
- Pancake Tips:
- Don't overmix batter; leave lumps for fluffy pancakes.
- Flip when edges set and bubbles form on top.
- Avoid squishing pancakes; let them rise naturally.
- Lower heat if outside cooks faster.
- Rest batter 5 minutes for fluffier results.
- Vanilla Pudding Tips:
- Prepare pudding before pancakes; cover to prevent skin.
- Leftover Caramel:
- Store in fridge; microwave for 15-45 seconds to drizzle.
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